Climate, Sustainability, Technology

Welcome to Katharine Rushton of Sunsense Solar – a residential solar developer based in Colorado.

What does Sunsense Solar do?

In a nutshell we design solar PV systems and then build them for our customers. We are based in Colorado so most of our work happens here, although we have provided some consultation and design services for projects in other states. We have a very robust residential department and have successfully shepherded many larger projects to fruition in the public sphere – mostly with our local municipalities, counties and school districts. Finding financing mechanisms that can work for public entities is one of our specialties. Its not always easy as energy rates in Colorado are pretty low compared to much of the rest of the country. Aside from that, we have deep experience in battery based systems as Sunsense Solar has been working with off grid clients since we started in 1990. Now we are using that experience for our utility connected clients as the Solar+Storage market gains traction. We have also been able to pursue opportunities in the community solar market, building some smaller solar gardens (2 – 5 MW) for our local utility company. And we have a service department fulfilling operations and maintenance contracts and responding to reactive service calls. We do a lot – it’s a bustle of activity at the Sunsense Solar office!

What do you think the main benefits of solar energy are for residential customers? Are there any downsides people should know about?

Installing solar on your home allows you to reduce or even eliminate your electricity bill, earn returns on your investment and increase the value of your property. Beyond that going solar will minimize your environmental impact and help to address issues such as climate change and health problems related to carbon emissions. Each individual solar installation reduces our collective dependence on fossil fuels. There are no downsides to installing solar per se but there could be plenty of downsides to selecting the wrong solar installer! It pays to educate yourself and choose a solar installer than has the necessary experience, certifications and longevity in the industry. You can find more resources on our website including information on how to choose a solar contractor.

What motivates your customers to purchase solar energy systems, is it mainly a smart financial transaction or are they mainly focused on the environmental benefits? Some other reason?

Well actually it depends entirely on the customer. Different clients have different motivations. We try to have a consultative approach to all of our interactions with potential clients – listening to their goals and motivations allows us to custom design a system that fully meets their expectations. There is a range of buyer “types” in the residential market.  Many of them have some kind of environmental motivation, although the majority are also hoping for financial savings. The cost of solar has come down substantially in the past few years and with the federal tax credit still in place it’s easy to achieve a fairly reasonable return on investment. Decision makers for commercial projects are much more focused on the financial benefits – which makes sense as they have a fiscal responsibility to the business – but as demonstrated by companies like IKEA, Google, Apple, Whole Foods and others, investing in solar is a smart financial decision that allows businesses to hedge against electricity price volatility and inflation.

What is one thing most people don’t know about solar energy?

Solar energy is the most abundant energy resource on earth — 173,000 terawatts of solar energy strikes the Earth continuously. That’s more than 10,000 times the world’s total energy use!

What are the main challenges in your industry?

Policy measures have been critical in driving the industry forward but as these measures come and go it creates a potential boom bust cycle for the solar industry which is a challenging environment in which to create a sustainable business.

We also face some technical challenges as renewable energy reaches grid penetration levels that our aging grid transmission and distribution system cannot handle. Upgrades are needed to the gird system to maintain stability and reliability of delivery including the addition of storage and more cooperation between the individual grid balancing authorities.

If you could have one wish immediately granted for the energy industry what would it be?

I wish we could all agree that the climate is warming and that burning fossil fuels is contributing to that situation. Its clear that we need to transition to a 100% renewable energy economy and if we could all get on the same page about that then we can work together to over come the hurdles to getting there. Obstructionist policies at the Federal level are short sighted and dangerous and ignoring the climate issue is having very real consequences to the well-being of mankind and the planet we live on. Consequences of a warming planet include economic destabilization, famine, fires, floods and conflict – all of which translates to human suffering. Fortunately, there are reasons to be optimistic in spite of a lack of leadership on climate at a federal level.

Do you have any role models or people you look up to?

I have great admiration for anyone working towards making solar energy more accessible to the low-income population in the Western World or implementing solar projects to provide energy access where there has been none in Developing Nations. There is a connection between affordable energy access and the alleviation of poverty and solar has a strong role to play in improving quality of life for the majority of the worlds population that don’t have the privileges that many of us take for granted in the US, such as clean water, light by which to study or electricity to run a small business.

Thank you Katharine Rushton for coming on the Climate, Sustainability, Technology Blog! 

Graham Majorhart is the co-founder of Carby Box, the first way to become carbon neutral though Amazon Alexa by saying “Alexa, order Carbon Neutral.”

What is Marlin Ray and what do you do?

Marlin Ray is a surf inspired brand that produces fashion and outdoor accessories. I am one of the co-founders of Marlin Ray, along side my husband, Josh Berry. It’s just the two of us!

What product of yours are you most excited about?

Our fair trade, carbon neutral surf poncho will always be our hero product. It’s why the brand was created. When I met my husband, I watched him change in and out of his wet suit with a raggedy old towel precariously wrapped around his waist, with his entire upper body exposed to the chilly northern California coastal air. I looked online for a changing poncho and all I found was cheap, ugly polyester ponchos or very expensive, one-off, hand sewn ponchos. I’ve been working for a fair trade factory in Kenya for almost 10 years and had the entire supply chain accessible for a changing poncho that fit my design aesthetic, price point and values. So I had to do it!

You have a supply chain transparency policy – can you talk about that?

Because we have a very small supply chain with small batch productions, we are able to be completely transparent with where we get all of our materials and trims. If and when we grow, we will continue our commitment to transparency, disclosing the source of all of materials and trims – as far as we can. You can read the details of our supply chain on our website.

What does sustainability mean to you as a business owner?

Sustainability means doing everything in my power to do business in the most ethical way possible. As a small producer, it’s much easier to make more sustainable choices. But as the size of the producer grows, it becomes much harder to make or transition to more sustainable materials and means of production. The bigger the company, it becomes more about a choice of trade offs and hyper focused initiatives, i.e. slowly transition to all organic cotton, but can’t phase out polyester. The advantage of being small is of course the ability to go deeper. And the advantage of being big is one commitment can make a big impact on the ground level.
As a business owner engaged in direct communication with consumers, I also feel the responsibility to bring more awareness about the dangers of our consumption and support of unethical producers. Engaged and concerned consumers can find resources and brands to decrease their carbon impact, like our guide to sustainable buying.

You’ve recently become plastic free – how did you do it?

We actually launched being almost plastic free. There are some things that we just can’t avoid, i.e. polyester thread for strength (but we’re close to finding a source) Also, for international shipping, you have to protect the garments from moisture. In this case, we have lined our boxes with plastic salvaged from the delivery of our bolts of fabric. Most brands have to individually wrap each garment because they get delivered to many distributors. Right now, there is not a good compostable bag option for this purpose. Recycled plastic is the only option. Some “bio plastics” claim to be compostable but they just breakdown to fine plastic dust!

Do you have any business role models?

Mara Hoffman and Stella McCartney are my top two.

Are there any additional shout outs you’d like to make?

Would definitely like to shout out to Wildlife Works factory.

Thank you Joyce Hu for coming on the Climate, Sustainability, Technology Blog! 

Graham Majorhart is the founder of Carby Box, the first way to become carbon neutral in 1 click through Amazon.com.